Davutoglu: Palestine, Karabakh and Crimea need to be saved

“Saving the occupied territories of Palestine, Karabakh and Crimea, as well as addressing the Muslim minority problems are the two important questions the Organization of Islamic Cooperation should focus on", said the Turkish Prime Minister.

ISTANBUL (QHA) -

In a speech delivered during an official dinner at the 13th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that representatives of the Islamic civilization met in Istanbul to send a message of justice and peace to the world. According to him, holding of the summit coincideed with the most critical moment in history:

“The world is going through a major economic crisis. And countries of the Islamic world, which are located at the very heart of this crisis, are facing major challenges.

I hope the Islamic Summit will provide an opportunity to re-awaken the Islamic world and establish peace and justice in the Islamic civilization. I hope that this Summit will tell the world about the best aspects of our faith”.

In his speech, the Prime Minister also stressed the need to debunk false negative perception of Islam and Muslims, which has been created around this religion in the world.

“Having emerged in the West, and especially in Islam-hating circles, this kind of behavior gave rise to a cultural and psychological atmosphere that caused an erroneous understanding of our religion and the Islamic world. We must work together to overcome it. We must work together to raise the voice of the Islamic world, no matter where Islam haters are. We have to demonstrate a common position against the behavior pattern characteristic of terrorism. We curse terrorism. We must work together to help brotherly and friendly countries in Africa and the Islamic world suffering from hunger or climate change. It is precisely for this reason that I want to invite you to the World Humanitarian Summit to be held in Istanbul on March 23-24. Your participation in this summit will give greater strength to the voice of the Islamic world. It is also important that the Islamic world promptly address humanitarian issues”.

Davutoglu made a special emphasis on the issue of occupied lands, such as Crimea, Karabakh and Palestine. That is precisely why he stated the need to step up peace efforts for the protection of the rights and laws of Muslim minorities living in different corners of the world.

“Saving the occupied territories of Palestine, Karabakh and Crimea, as well as addressing the Muslim minority problems are the two important questions the Organization of Islamic Cooperation should focus on", said the Turkish Prime Minister.

He also mentioned the need to demonstrate a common position in economic cooperation:

“At the moment, economic relations between OIC member countries are not at as good as we would like them to be. We believe that by developing economic cooperation between member countries we will make a greater contribution to restoration of peace”.

It was reported earlier that the 13th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation got underway in Istanbul on April 14, 2016. The situation in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, Somalia, Mali, Jammu and Kashmir, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Azerbaijan’s Nagorny Karabakh, which was invaded by Armenia, are high on the summit’s agenda. Among those attending the summit are Mustafa Jemilev, Leader of the Crimean Tatars and Advisor to Ukrainian President on Crimean Tatar Affairs, as well as Refat Chubarov, Mejlis Chairman.